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The saga begins with the two priests, Father Jean Baptiste Rouvière and Father Guillaume LeRoux, on a mission to spread Christianity near the Coppermine River north of the Arctic Circle. Both men were unable to speak the native language and unprepared for the harshness of the Arctic. Whether the priests threatened the Eskimos who shot them or whether they were killed for their guns and ammunition is still in question. Jenkins will recount parts of the 3,000-mile journey by Canadian Mounties Denny LaNauze and Wynham Bruce as they followed the trail.

As part of his research, in the summer of 2003, Jenkins traveled to Kugluktuk, the Inuit outpost at the mouth of the Coppermine River, near the site of the murder, where he witnessed firsthand a number of troubles predicted by LaNauze 90 years ago, including public health concerns, widespread poverty and a growing disconnection from traditional ways of Inuit life.